The Mist Entity was a mechanism-type monster, similar to an Illusion Entity or a Modified Entity. It could not only block one's vision but also pull them into an illusion.
But as for its illusion, to call it an "ability"... Alain felt it could better be described as a weakness. Why would a virus capable of completely sealing off subsequent versions leave behind a conquerable backdoor—the illusion?
Could it be that some programmer's sloppy code had been haphazardly piled up, inadvertently creating a bug like the "illusion"?
But there was another contradiction here: The illusion itself was a perfect match for the Safety Assistant's Intranet Firewall function.
If it were only that, Alain wouldn't have paid it much mind. However, the illusion was also a one-time thing. If it was broken by the Intranet Firewall, it would be gone for good. Then they would be unable to break through the Mist Entity's obstruction to reach Version 1.0F.
The illusion felt as if it had been deliberately created to target the Intranet Firewall function.
It was as if the creator of the Mist Entity had perfectly figured out the Intranet Firewall's function—and created the "Mist Entity" and even the "illusion" function as a means to counter it.
From the information 2D Mita had given him, Alain could almost distinctly hear the taunt:
"'If you want to move forward, are you going to stay and play this game with me to the end?'"
There was only one "person" Alain could think of who could figure out the skills of the Safety Guard—
"The Unknown Port."
It was a clue they had accidentally discovered back when everyone helped him change the Safety Guard into the current Safety Assistant, just after he came out of the 2D Version: The original Safety Guard would send information to two ports at a fixed frequency.
One port was the Core, while the other port was completely unknown.
In that case, based on Alain's guess, the creator of the Mist Entity, who was also the one blocking his path to the next version and forcing him to stay and play a game of "house," was the Unknown Port.
"Monika?" he whispered the name.
He couldn't help it... she was the only one he knew. He could connect anything and everything to Monika. For instance, was Cute Mita actually Monika? Was the Unknown Port Monika? Things like that.
In any case, there was nothing wrong with having her take the blame.
But the Mist Entity's "dilly-dallying" behavior was a stark contrast to the Monika he knew...
"Forget it..." Considering these useless things any further was just a waste of time.
Since the Intranet Firewall couldn't be used, and the "Unknown Port" wanted to play an illusion game with him. Then, he would play along.
Alain was curious, actually. How exactly did the Unknown Port want to toy with him, and what kind of illusion would it create?
If it was Misha and the others, the kind he couldn't bring himself to act against, he could still choose to give up, to select the "fail to break the illusion" option. Cute Mita had set a precedent for this; it wasn't necessary to break the illusion to [leave].
If you can't win, just give up. It was only human, and Alain felt there was nothing wrong with that.
After reaching his conclusion, Alain looked at 2D Mita, "Thank you for coming here to tell me this."
"It's nothing. It seems you've found your answer too," she said with a faint smile.
"Yeah. By the way, about Cool Mita and the others. Can you call the spiders to help?"
"Oh! That's a good idea!"
Reminded by Alain, 2D Mita thought of this as well and bid him farewell. She was probably going to inform Ugly Mita.
He closed the Safety Assistant panel. With the Man-Headed Spiders as reinforcements, Cool Mita and the others should be able to hold on a little longer, which would buy Alain more time.
He turned to survey his surroundings, waiting for the illusion to be reconstructed. The lines were already constructed; it was now in the coloring stage.
Alain frowned slightly. From the sketched outlines, he could tell the layout of the illusion was very familiar. As if he had already seen it countless times. Seen it to the point of "habit" and "adaptation."
Could it be that the Mist Entity really did create an illusion related to the Mitas, and then wanted him to personally... That's what he had thought, but now he understood... that was impossible.
As he observed, a photograph on the wall was colored in, and a piece of women's clothing lay on a bright red sofa.
This was impossible.
The bookshelf was lined with dozens of books of all kinds.
He walked over to the bookshelf, took down a book, and gently stroked its cover. The words on the cover hadn't been colored yet, but he could make out the outlines of the characters:
"Walking with AI"
Alain frowned, put the book back, and picked up another.
"Introduction to Algorithms"
"Computer System Architecture"
...He faintly guessed something, put the books down, and picked up other textbooks.
He watched as the characters on the book were filled with color, like a colorful prisoner slowly advancing. Until a book with a full-color cover appeared before his eyes. The illusion was now complete.
"What a vicious game."
Alain put the last book back, having lost interest in the bookshelf. He already knew what this illusion was about.
Alain looked back, and a bright light shone directly into his eyes.
The apartment's decor was bright under the excellent lighting. Sunlight slanted through the glass wall, falling onto the sofa and illuminating a dark blue, form-fitting women's coat.
On the dining table, the fly cover had long been set aside, and a lavish meal was laid out. A framed photo was placed near the edge by the wall. It was of a young girl and a young man on a sunny beach, smiling and making peace signs.
Beside the dining table was an ordinary baseball bat.
The bedroom door was ajar, revealing a closet that wasn't fully closed, with a man's shirt and a dress hanging nestled together.
"Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack."
From the kitchen, the sound of the range hood mixed with the sound of chopping vegetables was incessant, and he could smell a hint of fried food.
Alain strode forward, walking toward the kitchen.
He already knew what his illusion was. He never expected the Mist Entity to present him with such a difficult problem. To think... it would be her.
The her that Alain could never forget, the young girl who was placed in the deepest part of his memory, the one he was unwilling to recall.
In this lifetime...
He clenched his jaw, his pace quickening.
The girl he would never forget in this lifetime.
"Gulp."
He opened the kitchen door. A mix of cooking fumes and the aroma of food wafted out.
Her graceful back was wrapped in an apron. He could vaguely see the cable of her headphones and hear her humming softly.
She was concentrating on the cutting board, seemingly unaware of Alain's arrival.
Her dark blue hair was tied into a low ponytail, hanging down casually. Her deep blue pleated skirt swayed lightly with the song she hummed.
Through the reflection in the window, the girl noticed his arrival. She took off her headphones, and her bright eyes looked over at him.
"Alain."
___
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